As the offseason begins, so does the shuffling of the 40-man roster. Like every other team, the Colorado Rockies will look toward a critical winter of evaluation, roster churn, and organizational pivot points, with the 40-man roster serving as the ultimate canvas.
Before we start connecting the dots on external free agents, trade targets, and Rule 5 protection deadlines, we need to take a hard look at what the organization currently has in-house. From locked-in cornerstones to the roster bubble decisions
that will define the upcoming weeks, here is your comprehensive breakdown of the Rockies’ 40-man roster as the offseason officially gets underway.
Impending free agents
The Rockies are relatively light on players departing the 40-man roster via free agency. As it stands they will see the departures of four pitchers:
- Kyle Freeland
- José Quintana
- Jordan Romano
- Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之
There are possibilities that some of these pitchers could return to the club. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding pointed to José Quintana as the likeliest to return, should the club pursue that avenue. Jordan Romano also proved himself as a quality piece for the Rockies in 2026 and perhaps could work a new deal with the club.
Beyond that, the Rockies will likely have a slew of minor league free agents that aren’t on the 40-man roster. Players that saw big-league time like Parker Mushinski and Tyler Freeman have already elected free agency after they were outrighted to Triple-A to finish the season.
60-day injured list reinstatements
As the offseason begins, teams must reinstate players on the 60-day injured list. The Rockies have a number of players, particularly pitchers, that missed most of the year with injuries. There are six players slated to come off the 60-day IL:
- McCade Brown
- Kris Bryant
- Chase Dollander
- Pierson Ohl
- RJ Petit
- Welinton Herrera (No. 27 PuRP)
Chase Dollander and Welinton Herrera both showed signs of greatness this season before arm injuries took them out for the rest of the year. Dollander isn’t likely to return from his internal brace procedure until the second half of the 2027 season, while Herrera is likely to miss the whole year recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Meanwhile, Pierson Ohl and RJ Petit both went down with Tommy John surgery in spring training, and it’s unclear if the Rockies see them as viable options to keep on the 40-man going forward. As a Rule-5 pick last December, the Rule 5 retention rules will apply to Petit once he is reinstated for big league action in 2027. Ohl’s swing-man ability makes him an interesting depth piece as well. Both pitchers started throwing again in August.
McCade Brown continued to be sidelined throughout the season with a right shoulder injury that flared up in spring training. He was shut down in August with the hopes of preparing for a return in 2027.
Kris Bryant remains the enigma here. His back issue prevented him from doing any baseball activity this season. He is still owed $54 million over the next two seasons, but there is no likely possibility that he is able to play baseball for the Rockies ever again. Occupying a 40-man roster space doesn’t seem like a wise move, and the Rockies may be better suited to figuring out a way to move on from him.
Roster locks
The majority of likely 40-man roster locks are those that were the staples of the 2026 club, specifically on the offensive side of things.
For the position players, this would include the following players:
- Hunter Goodman
- Willi Castro
- Kyle Karros
- TJ Rumfield
- Mickey Moniak
- Cole Carrigg
- Jake McCarthy
- Ezequiel Tovar
- Connor Norby
- Brett Sullivan
- Sterlin Thompson (No. 16 PuRP)
This group of players, with the exception of Thompson, were the regulars in the lineup for most of the season. Connor Norby also emerged as a strong offensive addition after the trade deadline and found himself as a regular piece of the lineup at second base. Brett Sullivan also seems likely to stick around as he took on a leadership role in the clubhouse and delivered a solid season on both sides of the ball in his first full season in the big leagues as the backup catcher.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff is full of young arms, particularly for the bullpen:
- Brennan Bernardino
- Mark Manfredi
- Mason Adams
- Gabriel Hughes
- Ryan Feltner
- Tanner Gordon
- Nick Frasso
- Jaden Hill
- Sean Sullivan (No. 21 PuRP)
There are several other pitchers that could be added to this list, but I’ll mention them in the next section.
It’s clear that the Rockies will need to find more starting pitching depth, as these pitchers are mostly suited for the bullpen. Those who have traditionally been starters, like Ryan Feltner and Tanner Gordon, have been a little more successful in a bulk role out of the bullpen. Of course, the Rockies are likely to experiment with pitching roles, meaning that they could pursue more bulk -reliever types.
On the bubble
Finally, let’s take a look at the players that could be on the bubble. This group of players could continue on the 40-man roster, but could also face non-tenders or be designated for assignment and lose their spot on the 40-man. Either way, it’s up in the air as to what the club could do.
First, the position players that could be on the bubble:
- Jordan Beck
- Troy Johnston
- Zac Veen (No. 8 PuRP)
- Braxton Fulford
- Adael Amador
- Ryan Ritter
- Chad Stevens
As you may notice, this is a group consisting primarily of utility and bench players. Jordan Beck and Troy Johnston present the typical platoon bench bats. While Beck found his success against left-handed pitching, his overall season left a lot to be desired. Johnston, on the other hand, had a solid season at the plate and brought plenty of vibes to the clubhouse, but his lack of defensive acumen and his age may find him ousted from the roster.
Zac Veen had a fantastic year in Triple-Aand showed a little bit better in his second big league stint with the Rockies, but his viability as an every day player with the Rockies was brought into question. Strikeouts remain a major issue hindering his growth. He is still young with plenty of potential, but are the Rockies willing to stay patient to find him opportunities?
The trio of infielders — Adael Amador, Ryan Ritter, and Chad Stevens — seems more likely to lose their spots. Amador did play much better when he got another look in the big leagues, but the arrival of Norby made him more expendable. Ritter dealt with injuries all season, and when he did play with the Rockies, wasn’t able to do much. As for Stevens, he played decently in Triple-A but didn’t do much with the bat in a brief stint with the Rockies, despite a quality glove.
Braxton Fulford also didn’t impress with his bat or his glove as Sullivan cemented himself as a better option as a backup to Goodman. After a few years as the third-string catcher, it may be time for the Rockies to move on.
Now for the pitchers:
- Zach Agnos
- Jeff Criswell
- Eiberson Castellano
- Blake Adams
- Blas Castaño
- Jimmy Herget
- Hayden Harris
- Juan Mejia
- TJ Shook
More relievers could be on the chopping block at some point this offseason. Zach Agnos is most likely to stay because of his potential to evolve into a bulk reliever or perhaps even a starter. Blas Castaño and Juan Mejia could also stick around, but their big league experience is mixed when it comes to results, and there isn’t much reason to fully commit to them. Jimmy Herget also struggled this season after his spectacular 2025 campaign and may not be worth the bump in salary he is due in arbitration.
Jeff Criswell finally returned from injury but couldn’t do much for the Rockies while Blake Adams and TJ Shook both struggled in their truncated big league stints. They were added out of necessity during the season and could just as easily be outrighted back to Triple-A.
Eiberson Castellano remains an intriguing piece for the Rockies that I was surprised wasn’t used more. He looked excellent in his lone Rockies appearance while trying to find his footing in various roles in Triple-A. There is a lot of potential still as a starter or bulk reliever and it feels like he could stick around as a depth piece.
Hayden Harris was a late waiver claim at the start of September and made just three appearances with the Albuquerque Isotopes in Triple-A. The Rockies have tried to stockpile left-handed relievers so Harris could stick around and get a worthwhile look in spring training (whenever that is).
Rule-5 eligible
It is also worth considering what consider players would need to be protected from the Rule-5 draft by November 17, even though the draft may not happen this year when the CBA expires.
The following players are eligible for the Rule-5 draft:
- Bryant Betancourt (HM PuRP)
- Aidan Longwell
- Ronny Ugarte
- Roc Riggio (No. 13 PuRP)
- Tevin Tucker
- Roynier Hernandez (No. 29 PuRP)
- Skyler Messinger
- Dyan Jorge
- Andy Perez (No. 25 PuRP)
- Nic Kent
- Kelvin Hidalgo
- Braylen Wimmer
- Zach Kokoska
- Derek Bernard
- Jack Mahoney (No. 15 PuRP)
- Ben Shields
- Stu Flesland III
- Jake Brooks
- Connor Staine
- Mason Albright
- Jackson Cox (No. 11 PuRP)
- Jordy Vargas
- Bryson Hammer
- Braxton Hyde
- Angel Jimenez (No. 24 PuRP)
- Yujanyer Herrera
- Luichi Casilla
- Marcos Herrera
- Yeremmy Cabeza
- Austin Smith
- Andrew Baker
- Cade Denton
- Evan Shawver
- Mason Green
- Jarrod Cande
- Bryce McGowan
- Carlos Torres
- Michael Prosecky
- Hunter Mann
- Austin Emener
- Davison Palermo
- Sam Weatherly
- Case Williams
- Isaiah Coupet
- Jake Madden
As you can see this is a pretty extensive list. Teams tend to focus on protecting their top prospects and those that could be in the big leagues sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on pitching being the focus of protection for the Rockies, particularly the young arms that could make an appearance in 2027.
Let the shuffle begin
The Rockies only need to open two spots on the 40-man roster to accommodate the 60-day IL players after the free agent departures. That should be a relatively easy task to complete. However, the work isn’t finished as they will have to open more in order to add protection players by November 17 followed by the non-tender deadline on November 20. The next few weeks are crucial for evaluation as the Rockies try to hit the ground running. The market could be hot as teams rush to make moves before an impending lockout, meaning the Rockies are going to have to work quickly and efficiently to make sure they don’t fall behind.
Either way, the 40-man roster is going to undergo a bit of a makeover.
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